Table of Contents
Preface: Entering the Circle xiii
How to Use the Guidebook xvii
Traditional Music in Western North Carolina Wayne Martin 1
Region 1 Sprout Wings and Fly 23
Region 1 at a Glance 27
Surry County 28
Stokes County 38
Rockingham County 43
Yadkin County 52
Region 2 Feed Me on Cornbread and Beans 53
Region 2 at a Glance 54
Caldwell County 57
Wilkes County 66
Alleghany County 90
Ashe County 95
Watauga County 103
Region 3 It Strikes with Terror in My Heart 113
Region 3 at a Glance 120
Mitchell County 120
Avery County 125
McDowell County 128
Yancey County 130
Region 4 Asheville Junction 135
Region 4 at a Glance 138
Buncombe County 140
Madison County 148
Henderson County 156
Transylvania County 759
Region 5 The Flint Hill Special 167
Region 5 at a Glance 171
Cleveland County 172
Burke County 177
Rutherford County 184
Polk County 187
Region 6 Walking the King's Highway 195
Region 6 at a Glance 195
Haywood County 200
Swain County 213
Graham County 214
Cherokee County 223
Clay County 228
Macon County 230
Jackson County 233
Profiles
Back-Step: Keep It Fresh and Keep It Alive 39
Kinney Rorrer 47
Glenn Bolick: Sawmill Man 63
Clyde Ferguson Jr.: God Gave Me the Love of Music 67
Uwe Krüger: Not a Stranger Anymore 73
Herb Key: I Didn't Think Anybody Could Build a Guitar 81
Christine Horton: I Have Many Regrets 88
Dorothy Hess 102
Bobby McMillon 222
Donna Ray Norton: I'm Proud of Where I Came From 146
Sheila Kay Adams: She Appointed Me 154
Etta Baiter: A Wonderful Life 180
Joe Sam Queen 203
Travis and Trevor Stuart 209
Alfred and Maybelle Welch: Music Has Always Been a Part of Our Life 220
Jan Davidson: I Really Wanted to Get a Banjo 226
Sidebars
Connect on the Blue Ridge Music Website xix
Region 1: The Place 26
Mayberry USA 31
Blue Ridge Music on the Air 33
Western North Carolina Radio Stations that Play Traditional Blue Ridge Music 34
A Tribute to Ralph Epperson, by Paul Brown 35
Foothills Hayride 43
Fiddlers' Conventions in Western North Carolina 50
Region 2: The Place 56
The Molasses Festival at Sims Bar-B-Que 60
Americana Music 71
The Legend of Tom Dooley 77
Story of a Song: Otto Wood the Bandit 86
Bluegrass Trailblazers of the Blue Ridge 92
Junior Appalachian Musician (JAM) Program 94
"The Farmer Is the One Who Feeds Them All": A Word on Farmers Markets 105
Doc Watson: A Tribute 108
The Mountain Banjo 111
The Ballad of Frankie Silver (as sung by Bobby McMillon, December 1, 1999) 117
Silver Family Museum 119
Region 3: The Place 121
Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge Parkway 127
Region 4: The Place 139
Excerpt from "Mountain Dance and Folk Festival: A Living Tradition" Loyal Jones 142
Story of a Song: The Swannanoa Tunnel 144
Hot Springs 152
Religious Folk Song Traditions in the Blue Ridge 158
Jam Protocol 161
National Forests in the North Carolina Blue Ridge 164
Region 5: The Place 170
George Shuffler: Bluegrass Pioneer 178
Banjos and Blues 182
Dewitt "Snuffy" Jenkins 185
WNCW: Continuing Carolina's Radio Legacy 189
Nina Simone's Polk County Roots 192
Region 6: The Place 199
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 214
Manco Sneed and Cherokee Fiddling 218
John Romulus Brinkley: Goat Gland Doctor and Border Radio Pioneer 235
A Note about the Blue Ridge Music Trails Project 237
A Note about the Traditional Artist Directory 235
Acknowledgments 239
Index 243
CD Notes 271
